Emma's Tale
by StalkerAngel
Summary: This fanfic focuses on the time between seasons 2 and 3... I don't feel like Emma got a proper sendoff on the show, so I'm giving her one here
1. The Happily Ever After

Emma's Tale

_We all know what happened during all of Cleo, Rikki, and Emma's time together as mermaids, but what happens to Emma while Cleo and Rikki are having new adventures with Bella? This fanfiction tells the story of what happened to the original trio after they defeated Charlotte, and what happens to Emma as she travels around the world._

Part one: Departure

Chapter 1: the happily ever after

"I'm back!" Emma Gilbert called out as she walked through her front door. "Well, you certainly seem to be in a good mood," Emma's mother replied. And so she was. Emma had just gotten back from a fantastic swim with Cleo and Rikki. This particular outing had been even more special than most, since it had directly followed a date with her boyfriend, Ash. The fact that her boyfriend had seen her go for a swim might not seem like a big deal to some people, but it meant a great deal to Emma. It seemed like an eternity ago, but it had only been a couple days ago that she and Ash were constantly fighting. Ash knew that something was going on with Emma, and he felt hurt that she didn't trust him enough to tell him. Finally, the secrecy became too much for Emma to handle, and so she gave in and showed him her secret. She had figured that he would shy away from her if he knew that she was a mermaid, but his reaction surprised her. Instead of being scared or angry with her, he was simply relieved that she had finally told him, and their relationship became stronger than ever.

Even aside from romance, the past few days seemed almost like a dream to Emma. Not only had Charlotte failed to take the girls' powers away from them, but her plan backfired on herself, leaving her without powers or a tail. Emma had been afraid that once Charlotte lost her powers, she would do her best to expose the girls, but Emma needn't have worried. Once defeated, Charlotte had changed overnight from scheming and power-hungry to powerless and remorseful. It seemed like her love for Lewis was keeping her from saying anything, since she knew how badly it would hurt Lewis if someone were to find out about the girls, especially if it was because of Charlotte.

"Emma dear, are you all right?" Emma's mom inquired. "You look a little dazed; do you need to lie down?" "No mom, I'm fine, I was just thinking is all" Emma replied. "All right, if you're sure, but maybe you should turn in early, just in case" Mrs. Gilbert said. "Okay, I'll go to bed now then. Goodnight, mom" Emma said. "Goodnight, dear" Mrs. Gilbert replied.

**************

The next morning, Emma awoke with a start. She had just woken up from an awful nightmare, and she had no idea why. Everything was perfect in her life right now, so why did she feel as though the worst was yet to come?

When she went downstairs to have breakfast, the first thing Emma noticed was her mom watching her, a broad grin upon her face. "Emma, good, you're up!" Mrs. Gilbert enthused. "You'll never guess what news I have for you!"


	2. Bad News

Emma's Tale

_We all know what happened during all of Cleo, Rikki, and Emma's time together as mermaids, but what happens to Emma while Cleo and Rikki are having new adventures with Bella? This fanfiction tells the story of what happened to the original trio after they defeated Charlotte, and what happens to Emma as she travels around the world._

Part one: Departure

Chapter 2: Bad News

"Good News?" Emma asked hesitantly, wondering what the news could be. Instead of making her happy, this mention of good news sent a chill of fear down Emma's spine. After all, how could any change that her mother was about to tell her about make a positive change in her life if her life was so perfect already? _"Get a hold of yourself, Em"_ she chided herself. After all, how could anything her mother (who was grinning from ear to ear) was about to say be bad news?

"Well, it's more of excellent news really," Mrs. Gilbert continued excitedly, not noticing her daughter's nervous expression. "Your Father has gotten permission to take a sabbatical from work this coming year, and the four of us are going on a trip around the world!"

Emma stared at her mother, completely frozen in shock. This wasn't good news at all; it was horrible. Of all the things her mother could have said, this was the worst. In one sentence, Mrs. Gilbert had shattered Emma's entire world.

"Emma dear, is everything all right?" Mrs. Gilbert asked, bringing her daughter back to reality. "Yeah, everything's fine," Emma replied, managing to give her mother a weak smile. "You just surprised me, is all" "If you're sure…" Mrs. Gilbert replied uncertainly. "Of course I'm sure, I think I'll just take a bath and go to bed now; I'm exhausted" Emma said weakly, then rushed upstairs. As Emma went, her mother glanced at the clock. It was only 5:30.

***

Although she had never admitted it to anyone, Emma had always felt safer in the water: even before she had become a mermaid, her mind had always been clearer in the security of the water. And so Emma fled to the bathroom, in hopes that she would be able to think more clearly once she was in a warm, soothing bath.

As Emma stared at her golden tail, she contemplated what to do. She knew that if she tried to back out of the trip, her parents would be upset, and her brother would be devastated. On the other hand, how could her parents expect her to leave her best friends and her boyfriend behind in their last year of school? And then there was the issue of her tail: it would be a lot harder to keep her secret in an unfamiliar place, where she didn't know all of the potential water dangers. But even as she thought about this, Emma knew that she would have to go. After all, it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she knew she would never forgive herself if she passed it up. As soon as she decided that she would have to go; a new worry came to her: how was she going to break the news to Cleo and Rikki? And how on earth was she going to tell Ash?


	3. The Telling

Emma's Tale

_We all know what happened during all of Cleo, Rikki, and Emma's time together as mermaids, but what happens to Emma while Cleo and Rikki are having new adventures with Bella? This fanfiction tells the story of what happened to the original trio after they defeated Charlotte, and what happens to Emma as she travels around the world._

Part one: Departure

Chapter 3: The Telling

For having tossed and turned all night, Emma woke up surprisingly early the next morning. After watching the sun make its way over the horizon, Emma headed downstairs for some breakfast. Once she was done eating, she left a note on the table:

_I'm going out for a jog,_

_I'll be back for dinner._

_~Emma_

As soon as she was out the door, she sprinted to the dock and dove into the water. As she swan for Mako, she paid close attention to her surroundings _"I'm really going to miss this" _she thought to herself as she swam past some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs.

***

She hadn't been at the moonpool for more than 10 minutes, when Rikki, followed by Cleo, swam in. "What's wrong?" Cleo asked Emma as soon as she saw the look on Emma's face. "Why would anything be wrong?" Emma asked evasively to which Rikki replied "Let's see, Cleo and I have been trying without success to get a hold of you since 7:00 last night, and when we finally find you, you're off sulking in the moonpool?"

She had been hoping to keep the news to herself for a little while, but Emma couldn't take it anymore. "You're right Rikki, I have some bad news" Emma replied glumly. "Oh no, did you and Ash break up? Is Charlotte plotting to expose us?" Cleo asked in an increasingly panicked tone. "No, it's nothing like that," Emma assured Cleo "It's just that, apparently, my family is going on a trip around the world, and I'm going to miss my last year of high school here"

There was a few seconds' silence, in which Cleo and Rikki just stared at her. Rikki was the first to regain control of herself, at which point she asked "You're joking… aren't you?" Emma shook her head "No, I'm not… we're leaving in three weeks" she relied sadly. "Three weeks!?" Cleo exclaimed. "What were your parents thinking!?" "I don't know, but I do know that if I pass up this opportunity, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life…" Emma replied sadly. Suddenly, Cleo's tone grew softer. "But… what about Ash?" she wondered. "How are you going to tell him?" It took Emma a minute to respond, because she had absolutely no idea. "I guess… I guess I'll have to tell him today at work…" Cleo looked surprised. "But… shouldn't you wait until the best moment possible?" Cleo wondered. "No, that wouldn't be fair to him, I need to let him know as soon as I can" Emma replied glumly. "Well, good luck with that!" Rikki replied. "Speaking of which, doesn't your shift start in half an hour?" "Shoot! Is it that late already? I have to go!" Emma exclaimed. And with a flick of her tail, she turned around and swam back for the mainland.


End file.
